Whatever You Wish IC

[Cleopatra]

It was a rainy day when Jenna and Sam were supposed to go out shopping. Not that Jenna disliked the rain; normally she loved it. But she just wished it would stop just long enough for her manage to go and grab a sandwich at least. At this rate it would be pouring before she and Sam even got to go look for furniture.

They had just moved to a little house in a pretty neighborhood. Even though they were just friends and, according to practicality, they should have just gotten an apartment. But neither of them wanted just a few rooms, they wanted a house that could also be a home. Of course, since neither of them planned to stay there forever, it could have been a dumb decision eventually, but still, they both thought it was worthwhile.

The only problem was the lack of furniture. They could get by with what pieces they had, but lately both girls had been wanting a coffee table. There was this huge space in the living room that would have been perfect for it f they had one. So the logical thing to do was save up for one. Which they were doing today. Hopefully the store they had planned to go to was open. They had forgot to make sure. Luckily, Jenna worked in an area with lots of stores, so she knew of several places they could check. She even had a list. Although there was one name that she hadn’t been familiar with…

Her coworker, Steve, had suggested it. It was an antique store, probably far out of their price range, but it couldn’t hurt to look just for fun. They might find something else nice, something cheap. Even though Jenna was a manager of a bookstore and Sam owned her own store, they still couldn’t go around buying antiques at their usual prices sadly. It was a pity.

Jenna sighed and looked at the time. Eh, it was close enough to closing time anyway. She quickly dialed Sam’s number on her cell and called her. “Hey, I’m done for the day. You almost here?” She glanced at her list. “There’s this one cool place someone told me we could browse around in…”

[Merry]

“Hey Jenna, yeah, just pulling up now” Sam replied, saying bye and tossing her phone back into her bag. Sliding to a stop outside the bookstore and unlocking the door to her truck. Watching as her friend bolted through the pelting rain and jumped in. “What a miserable day this turned out to be” watching as her friend buckled up, then pulling away from the curb back into the traffic.

“That place you mentioned sounds good to me, and it is not too far away. I know I told you we’d shop till we dropped, but this has been one hell of a day! I hope we find something quick, cause I’m that would be the first thing that’s gone right today!” she quickly went on to describe her day to her friend, barely stopping to breathe thru the tirade about sales and missing merchandise and an upcoming inventory that would probably take a weekend of free time away. The conversation ending when they reached the antique shop.

Sam pulled into the empty lot, looking around at the area they were in. “Jen, you sure about this? This definitely looks like the type of place that we cannot afford! How much money was in that saving Jar anyway?” she laughed moving to get out of the vehicle. Both girls nodding in agreement that they were going to try, they had to start somewhere. They headed to the door and went in out of the rain.

“Wow” Sam said exclaimed in a hushed voice, looking around the exquisite shop “look at some of these things” running finger over the edge of an exact replica of a Louis XV arm chair. “This is absolutely gorgeous” then sighing sadly “we’ll never find anything in here in our price range” then almost jumping out of her skin when a voice from the corner suddenly called out “Can I help you ladies?” turning to see the source of the voice and noticing for the first time an older woman perched behind a desk in the back of the room. “um not sure, M’am. We were looking for a table for our living room, but I don’t know if you’ve got anything that we can afford here” standing, with her hands on her hips looking at Jenna.

[SikstaSlathalin]

The cold snap of a winter breeze awoke a young man dozing on a small feather bed on rough wood frame. His gold eyes opened upon his small but cozy mountain cottage and the ever dancing fire brunign behind his old table of the equally same roughness as his bed and an old armchair over stuffed but comfy as hell. Reaching for a peg on the wall he pulls down a white shirt and throws it over his shoulder.

Stepping out the thick oak door he gazes over the lonely mountains of Northern Scotland, the winter breeze whistled and moaned by his ears sending his long hair fluttering behind him. After a deep breath his exhales seeing it fog out in front of him. A slight smiles crosses his handsome lips.
"Another fine day in the bonny mountains of Scotland." Streatching his mighty shoulders he begins the morning trek to the mountain pool to do his daily bathing.

[Cleopatra]

Jenna smiled sheepishly at the lady, knowing that Sam was right. But her co-worker had made it sound so good, she had to stop in just to browse for a little while. Although it was true that she would have just loved to grab something from the store. Once again she mentally bemoaned the small amount that came in her paycheck. The way it looked now though, there was no way that they’d be able to get even an end table. Still… “Well, we could still look at some things, Sam. Maybe there’s something in the back that we can use.” If her intuition was correct the ‘junk’ would be sitting in the back of the store collecting dust. She was betting that even if they couldn’t get anything now, they’d find something that they could purchase in a couple months or so if they just pooled their spending money. Then again, they needed something practical, not something pretty.

She sighed to herself and added “expensive, ornate coffee table” to her mental dream house. “Actually, you’re right, Sam. Maybe we should just go to that other place. We’d have to eat toast for weeks to buy so much as a mirror here.” Pulling her purse more securely over her shoulder, Jenna gave the store one last glance over before she started walking to the door.

And then a voice came from one of the aisles. “Excuse me…” She turned to find a tall man with black hair and glasses smiling politely. “I do hope you don’t think I was eavesdropping, but did I hear you say something about needing a table?”

Jenna stepped away from the door looking at him curiously. “Yes, actually.”

His smile widened. “Well then, you are in luck! I myself actually came here to sell this table-” he gestured to a table half covered by a cloth in the corner “to the owner of this fine establishment. And I would only be too happy to let you have a look at it.”

There was really no response to this sudden proposal other than to blink, which Jenna did. Her eyes went to Sam, wondering what she thought of this strange development.

[Merry]

Sam quickly jumped at the chance, never one to let something that seemed too good to be true to pass. "Oh, that would be absolutely amazing, we would love to!" poking Jenna in the ribs slightly, "won't we Jen" watching as her friend nodded in agreement.

"We're just starting out in our own place and trying to add some furniture to our place, it's really very nice of you to help us out like this" stepping closer to the man, smiling brightly. "Oh I'm glad I could help you out, I really didn't think the owner would give me much for this table anyway" the man smiled back as he pulled away the cloth covering the table. "It's been in my basement for some time now, I got it from my Fathers estate awhile back and just didn't know what I was going to do with it."

"Wow" exclaimed Sam quickly bending down to run her hands over the finish of the table. "This is so beautiful. I really think this is out of our price range." while still admiring the woodwork, refusing to look at the man, trying not to let her sadness at the thought of the loss of the table show on her face. It was a long table, made of a dark wood with a beautiful carved mountain scene across the top. It had a darker inset of little drawers along one side with little brass handles in the shape of miniature door knockers.

"Actually, I think it's yours, if you want it. Name your price" the man replied. "You see, this table was just sitting in storage, and the woman that runs this shop will not give me much for it, as it's not really worth much, other than sentimental value. I just brought it here in the hopes that someone would get some use out of it. Really, I'd rather it went to you ladies. It would please my dad to know that it went to someone that would appreciate it. He's had it for years, and now that he's gone. I... I, just think he would be satisfied that you would enjoy it, in fact I know he would." he smiled at them both.

"Well, if you're sure" said Sam, quickly glancing at Jenna, seeing her beaming face, and then turning to the man, holding out her hand. "We would love to buy this table from you sir"

After the girls finished their deal with the stranger, who happened to be Mr Daryl Tibideau. He helped them load the table into the back of Sam's pickup truck, secure it down and cover it properly against the rain. They headed home, both very happy with the way things turned out at the antique shop.

[SikstaSlathalin]

He'd finished his bathing and was seated on the step of his cottage watching the brass swaying the breeze. He began to muse on his life so far, he'd been trapped in this book for almost 3,000 years since his mother Queen Lasishade locked him in it for his protection. He was just a boy when the rebels attacked Karnes’s Keep. The guards fended them off bravely but Queen Rana wasn't the Winter Queen for nothing. His mother fled with him into the top tower where her study was. The Winter Queen was hot on their heels when Lasishasde and the young prince bolted in and locked the door.

The Summer Queen didn't have much time so she used the spell that would just keep him in the book for a short time and not subject him to the Servant spell but before she could finish Rana broke in and messed up Lasis's spell that put the young Fae in his present state. And ever since he's been living the life of a servant in a book. Every few centuries someone find his prison, speaks the enchantment on the front page, and frees him for various amounts of time. Sometimes he's free the whole life of his Master or Mistress sometimes for no more then a week. His last master was an old Scottish Druid Jaishish. And before him a nice French Duchess named Joan.

Feeling a twinge in his legs he stands and walks around his house and down the hill into a wide moor. He takes a deep breath and exhales seeing his breath mist in front of him before dissipating the handsome man stopped coming up a hill over looking another deep valley. He'd been all over the mountains and lands of northern Scotland. He could walk from the foot hills to the far north coast with his eyes closed and never get injured. The world within the book as always been his to control and tweak his world usually takes on the shape of his last master. He’d been in Ancient Rome, Japanese mountains, the plains of Africa, the forests of Romania many others but the Scottish mountains are by far the most beautiful of his homes the misty peaks and deep clear pools the purest water in Europe they’d say. The deep old magic lives in every stone and blade of grass born from the creation . Fire, Water, Air and Earth are the avatars of the creation everything from humans and Immortals to the smallest bugs are made up by at least a little bit of these forces.

He came across a small town a ways away from his cottage. He'd overlooked this little place many times and even went down to it a few times but it only showed to be a ghost town. He exists on another plane from the human inhabitants of Scotland. He doesn't see them and they don't see him, the only sad part is he knows they exist but can't interact with him. Immortality is grand but it's a lonely existence when he's not summoned. Taking another deep breath he begins the trek back to his cottage his mind spinning around it's memories.